23/04/2013

Review: Impact Wrestling 18/04/2013


In our second week emanating from Corpus Christi's American Bank Center, Impact Wrestling begins with a wonderfully-realised recap of the last installment, emphasising just how badly Jeff Hardy had been injured during his Full Metal Mayhem match with Bully Ray. Feels a little soon to be running another Hardy injury angle considering he spent the best part of February "injured" and unable to appear on the UK tapings. However, if they're going down this route again, a nice way to sell the severity.

I was sad to see the show begin with Garret Bischoff and Wes Brisco, even with the Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle to offset the balance. Bischoff and Brisco have proven to be drawing duds and the logic of throwing them out there first is a little mystifying. Even the Corpus Christi crowd agreed with me, when they chanted "you can't wrestle" throughout the match. Angle always feels hugely wasted when attempting to put these two over. I understand the urge to think of the next generation, but these aren't going to be the big money stars of the future. As such, it's fairly appropriate that Angle ran roughshod over the pair of them singlehanded. I particularly enjoyed the double German suplex spot towards the end of the match, showing just how out-matched both of them are. Bischoff did eventually get the pinfall however, after some timely Aces & Eights interference. It's slightly worrying that the faction still needs to cheat to win when they have two legal men in a handicap match. They're never going to be taken seriously as a threat with tainted victories such as this.


Mr Anderson cut a post-match promo on the fallen ranks of TNA. Fake-crying about all the injured is exactly up the Asshole's street and as such cuts the most convincing promo from Aces & Eights in weeks. His obvious talents on the mic dwarf all others in the group, making him the logical mouthpiece, at least behind the leader, Bully Ray. As a former World Champion, Anderson's presence in the group continues to baffle. He seems eminently ready to move on to bigger and better things, but tends to get lost in the shuffle. The subtle digs at AJ Styles over his past month of indecision promise an entertaining feud down the line. Assuming the Phenomenal One doesn't outright join the group himself.

TNA continue to do a nice job of rebuilding the X Division, pushing the upcoming Title match with a poignant backstage video. I laughed out loud at Petey Williams saying the Canadian Destroyer was the key to his offense, only to take it back immediately for fear of his opponent's scouting him ahead of time. Speaking of which, the match itself proved to be a star-making turn for Williams, carrying long stretches all by himself. After hitting said finisher exceptionally early in the match, I was slightly worried that the returning superstar would find himself as somewhat of a one-trick-pony, hitting the Destroyer as his showpiece and then bowing out. Thankfully, Petey had a varied arsenal, which he didn't hesitate to show off. Of particular note was his Sharpshooter on Zema Ion in the closing sequence of the match. I commend any talent who whips out that maneuver. Ion himself stepped up to Williams' challenge, with his own wide array of high-flying moves. The only seeming weak link of the match was the X Division Champion himself, Kenny King. Coming out to horrible new entrance music, the Champ found himself eliminated from the action for the majority of the match. It could simply have been strategy on his part, to let Ion and Williams fight it out before taking advantage, but it felt rather undeserved when he skulked in and stole the win.


On the subject of the X Division, a tweet earlier in the night from TNA President Dixie Carter touted the return of former Champion, Chris Sabin, to the ring, after a year long absence. Largely known for being one half of the Motor City Machine Guns, he suffered the unfortunate fate of returning from an injured knee last year, only to injure the other knee. It'll be fascinating to see how the high-flying star adapts his style in the wake of injuring both knees. He clearly won't be taking the same death-defying bumps that the Division is renowned for, so look for a slightly more thoughtful ground-based move set. Either which way, I'm glad to see him back in the coming weeks.

A distinct non-match next as Aces & Eights proceeded to beat down Magnus on the ramp before his Television Title shot. While I applaud the improved tactics of the group in attacking their opponent before the match, I downright loathe that Devon has escaped yet another TV Title defense. He's had the belt for four months now and I can't remember him defending it once. A problem that looks to be solved later in the night, as Samoa Joe rushed out to make the save for Magnus. A nice touch, as the Submission Machine has long been a mentor to the Brit, the pair even holding the TNA Tag Team Championships for a brief spell. Also, Samoa Joe was the person who Devon defeated all those many months ago to capture the Television Title and he's been aching for revenge ever since.

The Knockouts Number One Contender match between Mickie James and Miss Tessmacher was preceded by a brief video highlighting Velvet Sky's injured knee. Putting such an emphasis on an injury is never a good sign and points towards the Knockouts Champion eventually dropping or relinquishing the belt at the next opportunity. Potentially scuppering yet another of Velvet Sky's Knockouts Title reigns. I'm beginning to think the poor girl is cursed. Whenever she finally wins the Title, she ends up dropping off the radar and ceasing to exist.


As for the match itself, it started off rather fun and flirty, only to descend into a bitchy cat fight. It was always going to be a tough-sell having two faces competing against one another, with another face refereeing and the winner going on the challenge against...you guessed it...another face. What the hell happened to all the heels in the Knockouts Division? Gail, Tara, Madison, they're dropping like flies! There was a nasty looking spot when James was backed against the turnbuckle and neither woman could quite decided whether they were going for a powerbomb on Tessmacher or a faceplant on Mickie. It got even more awkward as Tessmacher hit a prolonged Stinkface on Mickie, but as neither woman was playing it decidedly villainous, frankly I just felt sorry for them both. An absolutely wretched affair, full of botches and I couldn't wait for it to end. Mickie and Tessmacher were either having an off night or have zero chemistry with each other. I'd seriously question the next time anyone wants to book that match again.

In what had to be the verbal highlight of Impact, Daniels & Kazarian faced off with fellow Tag Team and former Champions, Roode & Aries. Bad Influence kicked things off with their infectious enthusiasm, strutting to the ring to advertise their new T-shirts and the upcoming Bad Influence movie starring Morgan Freeman as Dixie Carter, coming soon to theaters near you! Daniels has always been the natural speaker of the pair, but I have to admit, Frankie Kazarian has been coming along in leaps and bounds this past year. And if one duo of sweet talkers wasn't enough, Roode & Aries matched them beat for beat, pun for pun. Infact, so many gems were being thrown back and forth between the two, I'm sure I'll need to re-watch the segment simply to take it all in. While insinuating your opponents are gay isn't a new trick in professional wrestling by any means (if anything, it's kinda low brow), but I'll be damned if Austin Aries didn't make it creative. Eventually, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez made their presence known, but appearing so late in the segment and not being able to match the wit of the other teams, it just went to show how outclassed they truly are, relying on the innovation of others to get themselves over. Ironic that the Champions should be an afterthought in their own division.


Taking one more crack at getting a TV Title defense out of Devon, Samoa Joe finally achieves the impossible and gets the Aces & Eights Sergeant at Arms in the ring! The match starts with an underhanded attack from behind by the Champion, but the sheer power of Joe quick turns the tables, hitting a series of impressively stiff power moves. On the flip side, Devon's offense amounts to little more than rest holds. Unsurprisingly, like every other Aces & Eights match on the card, the rest of the faction swarm the ring, landing a big hit with brass knuckles behind the referee's back, allowing their man to make the cheap cover. I love the idea of factions, but damn do these tactics get old fast. Especially when used so many times within the same show.

Making his long-awaited return to the ring, AJ Styles took on "The Cowboy" James Storm. While I haven't enjoyed the segments leading up to this, with the faces Storm and Hogan, essentially bullying Styles to be on their side, I'll admit I'm hugely intrigued by AJ's new look and demeanor. It's the same basic package as before, but darker and sexier. The beard, the hair, the colourless ring attire. It's like when Luke Skywalker started wearing black in Return of the Jedi. He means business. As reflected in his offense, which feels alot more vicious, calculated and the new submission finisher looks appropriately sadistic. The post-match beatdown of Bad Influence definitely crosses them off the list of potential stable-mates. However, the quickness with which Aces & Eights descended upon the ring to destroy James Storm leaves legitimate questions in the match's wake. I wouldn't worry too much about Styles siding with them though. I believe he's simply out for himself at the moment. He's not interested with siding with ANY faction.


The show closed with Aces & Eights standing tall over the fallen "heroes" and Bully cutting one of his patented tough guy promos, calling out his "Father-in-law" Hulk Hogan. This confrontation seems to be the major selling point for next week's Impact (what, you thought all those hyped Title matches were the important part?). I can't say I'm looking forward to that segment very much. While it makes perfect story sense, my inner wrestling fan keeps wondering how this feud is meant to pay off. Hogan is a legitimate cripple, unable to compete any longer. Hell, Bully is probably afraid to simply touch him, incase he breaks something. The real question is who runs out and makes the save for the General Manager. James Storm doesn't seem to have prospered in the role, so who'll be next to get the Hulkamania stamp of approval?

Match of the Week - Kenny King vs Petey Williams vs Zema Ion

Promo of the Week - Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries

Impact of the Week - Kurt Angle double German suplexing Wes Brisco and Garret Bischoff.

22/04/2013

News: TNA Announce Maximum Impact Tour 2014



TNA IMPACT WRESTLING UK TOUR TICKETS ON SALE FROM MAY 3

Fans can be part of the action, and experience the UK’s most popular wrestling company live, from just £22.50, plus booking fee. Tickets are available via the TNA UK Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tnawrestlinguk, www.gigsandtours.com/tour/tna-wrestling, www.ticketmaster.co.uk or direct from the tour venues. Full details of the UK events are:

Thursday 30 January 2014 
Glasgow Hydro 
0844 811 0051

Friday 31 January 2014 
Manchester Arena 
0844 847 8000

Saturday 01 February 2014 
London Wembley Arena 
0844 815 0815

Sunday 02 February 2014 
Birmingham NIA 
0844 338 8000

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING is broadcast on Challenge in the UK and Ireland every Sunday night at 9pm, as well as on Spike TV in the USA and more than 120 other countries.

The Glasgow event will see TNA IMPACT WRESTLING become the first ever company to put on a wrestling show at the gorgeous new Hydro arena.

TNA President Dixie Carter will be coming to Britain from April 30 – May 2 to host huge fan events in London and Glasgow to launch the MAXIMUM IMPACT VI Tour.

Carter said: “TNA live is something everyone must experience and we’re working hard to make our 2014 Tour extra special for both our amazing long-term fans in the UK and those who will be coming to the arenas to experience a TNA live event for the vey first time.”

The TNA UK Tour launch also includes an exclusive competition with Challenge, where one lucky fan can win a trip for two to Boston to experience TNA Slammiversary live. More details on the fan events and competition can be found at www.challenge.co.uk/wrestling

MEET TNA PRESIDENT DIXIE CARTER IN THE UK

TNA President Dixie Carter is coming to the UK to launch the TNA MAXIMUM IMPACT VI Tour. Dixie will be hosting a huge TNA Tour Launch Party in London on the evening of Tuesday April 30. Taking place at a secret location in the heart of the city centre, between 7.30-10pm, the only way fans can attend is to win tickets.

Tickets can be won via the TNA Wrestling UK Facebook page – www.facebook.com/tnawrestlinguk – during the next week. The party is open to over 18s only. Dixie will also be holding a very special meet & greet and Q&A with fans in Glasgow on Thursday May 2 at 5.30pm.

This event will take place at The Clyde Auditorium (part of the SECC complex), Exhibition Way, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, G3 8YW. It will be FREE and open to EVERYONE. No tickets will be required and all ages are welcome. Each fan attending the London or Glasgow events will be given an exclusive ‘Dixie Carter MAXIMUM IMPACT VI Tour’ signing card, while stocks last.

19/04/2013

Review: TNA Xplosion 17/04/2013


Another week and another International-only episode of Xplosion. Sometimes it pays to be in the UK! Beginning proceedings, we have ourselves a singles match between Big Brother's Jessie Godderz (accompanied by the always lovely Tara) and one half of the Tag Team Champions, Hernandez.

May I just say the Impact Zone looks far better from last week. I don't know when exactly they taped that Tara/Tessmacher bout, but it may as well have been an empty arena match. This week the Impact Zone is respectably filled once again and they've even turned the big video screen back on, so they're obviously not embarrassed about a potential lack of audience.


Both talents, who typically lack any real airtime to themselves, start off with somewhat of a pose-down. Jessie, "renowned" for his muscles, showed off his proverbial guns, only to be trounced by Super-Mex's. Jessie tried to take control of the match early, but the momentum was always going to be Hernandez'. There was lots of interaction with Tara on the outside, trying to give support to her boyfriend, to little success. The match mostly came down to Jessie's pathetic offense being swotted away and a retaliatory show of strength from the Tag Team Champion. I'm always a little worried whilst seeing Hernandez dominate so utterly. His feats, while looking impressive to the casual audience, can go wrong exceptionally easily and I've lost count of the times I've seen him drop guys on their head. The finish of the match came after a devastating shoulder block to Jessie, sending him flying across the ring, allowing Hernandez to make the three count for the win.

An interesting quirk of the segment was the addition of Gut Check judge, Al Snow, to the commentary team. I was always a fan of he and Head, so to hear him get a little more airtime is a welcome treat. While commenting on the match, he also gave us an update on recent British Boot Camp winner, Rockstar Spud. Apparently, the little guy has taken OVW by storm, won the Television Title straight out of the gate and is proceeding to dominate the division. Glad to hear Spud is doing well. After spending a month watching his journey from the British Independents to an honest to god episode of Impact Wrestling, it's good to know the success wasn't fleeting.

With this week's exclusive match over with, we move onto another go-around on JB's Spin Cycle! Thankfully, we've moved away from the episodes taped during the Lockdown fan-fest in March. Not that they were bad, it was simply annoying to spend a whole month watching Jeff Hardy paint one single thing. Filmed in Jonesboro, our host is joined by So Cal Val, Jessie Godderz and the returning duo of Sonjay Dutt and "Canadian Destroyer" Petey Williams. Setting his panelists a challenge - for $100, which one of them has the best picture with a celebrity on their phone. Val starts out strong with Micky Dolenz from the Monkees, Petey offers up soap actress Lisa Rinna, Sonjay proudly submits Beetlejuice (from Howard Stern, not the evil spirit), the genuine reality star Jessie fires back with...himself and last but not least, JB himself has a double header of Hulk Hogan and Shaquille O'Neal. A fun little segment, really short, probably could've run longer to no harm.


The real meat on the bone this episode comes in the form of ImpactWrestling.com's match of the week. Replaying Slammiversary 2007's King of the Mountain, it featured Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Christian Cage and Chris Harris competing for the newly-created TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

The match begins with Angle and Joe throwing each other from the ring in short order, while Christian and Styles team up to take down Chris Harris. This alliance continues as Styles willingly lays down in the centre of the ring, offering the first pinfall to Christian. However, before the referee can count to three, Angle leaps in to make the save, scuppering Christian's chances of early eligibility. Rather than focus on the heels in the ring, Angle is once again pulled to the outside, continuing his heated feud with bitter rival Samoa Joe. The alliance between Styles and Christian quickly breaks down inside the ring, as Styles attempts a roll-up pin on his supposed ally.

A hilarious spot sees Joe casually waiting to grab Styles' foot in mid-air, pulling the Phenomenal One down hard onto the canvas. The Samoan Submission Machine follows this up with a nasty swinging power-bomb onto the steel railing. Joe goes on a tear around the ring, taking out Christian and even being used as a human cannonball onto Kurt Angle by Chris Harris.


The Wildcat becomes the first to be eligible to climb the ladder and place the belt on the hook after a series of impressive power moves on Styles, leading to a quick pinfall. Both Angle and Joe almost became eligible at the same time after applying simultaneous submissions to a pained Cage, but were denied once Styles and Harris came to break up the maneuver.

There's a particularly painful looking spot where Harris has Christian backed onto a ladder bridging the ring and the railings, only for Christian to fall between the steps. A move that is compounded when Styles is thrown over the ropes and lands on the whimpering Cage.

After a flurry of pinfalls, the finish comes as Kurt Angle and Christian Cage battle back and forth atop the ladder, when suddenly Chris Harris flies into frame and takes Christian off the ladder with a perfectly aimed spear. This leaves the Olympic Gold Medalist alone and undisturbed at the top of the ladder, TNA Title in hand, placing it on the hook for the win. Making for an excellent pay-per-view main event from some years ago, well worth tracking down the episode of Xplosion just to watch again.

18/04/2013

News: Innovative new camera to be used on Impact tonight


TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted on Wednesday, touting the debut of a brand new camera angle for use on this week's episode of Impact Wrestling.

"During this week's #XDivision match, we experiment with a new camera attached to the ref to bring you closer to action!"

As per the recently established X Division rules, Kenny King is set to defend his Championship tonight against Zema Ion and Petey Williams in a three way dance.

CLEM'S TAKE: An interesting idea and an innovative one at that. The trick will be fitting it seamlessly into the traditional footage. The filming of a wrestling event has developed it's own shorthand over the years and POV has never been a part of that. It could make for a jarring few seconds in an otherwise entertaining match. They'll be pushing this feature hard tonight, but it should settle down in the coming weeks.

16/04/2013

News: TNA having trademark issues in Europe?


The Wrestling Observer is reporting that TNA are struggling to trademark both "TNA" and "Impact" brand-names in Europe.

The problem stems from the Aritzia clothing company, who produce a women's line named "TNA" and appear to already own the trademark on clothing.

"Impact" has also been officially protested, by the Italian IT company, Datalogic Automation.

If these claims prove successful, TNA would not be allowed to use either name for clothing or television in Europe.

CLEM'S TAKE: Losing both globally recognisable brands in their second most important market would make for a crippling blow to TNA. One I'm not sure they'd be able to recover from. Such a change would necessitate a ground-up re-working of the company at what is already a critical juncture.

14/04/2013

Review: Impact Wrestling 11/04/2013


With several marque matches headlining this installment of Impact Wrestling, we find ourselves with the essence of a pay-per-view by another name. After reducing the total number of monthly pay-per-views down from twelve to four, TNA were bound to produce a few special editions of their flagship show to fill the void and it makes for all the better a product.

Beginning the night perfectly was the two out of three falls match between Tag Team Champions, Bobby Roode & Austin Aries and their challengers, Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez. The first fall of the match flew by at breakneck pace, with Roode and Aries having attacked the Mexican duo long before the bell had even rung, allowing a dominant start for the former World Champions. They were not as fortunate with the equally speedy second fall however, as Chavo took advantage of Aries' failed frog-splash to even the tally and continue the bout for one final fall. This is where the meat of the competition took place, with both teams putting on a superb tag team contest that I would be proud to watch any given week. Momentum swung back and forth in a matter of seconds, making the outcome all the more mysterious. Not an easy feat in modern day professional wrestling. The finish came through a combination of Hernandez' brute strength simultaneously suplexing both Roode and Aries into position for one last Guerrero frog-splash, giving us our new TNA Tag Team Champions. A wonderful bout to be sure, but I'm not keen to witness another generic Chavo/Hernandez reign as Tag Champs and this resolution also leaves Aries and Roode's place on the card up in the air. After their good works in 2012, the IT Factor and A-Double were already slumming it in the Tag Team division in the first place. What will be their next stop on the road to greatness?


In the first promo of the night, Joseph Park made his way to the ring to address his grievances with Aces & Eights. Never mind the fact they held him hostage for over a month at the tail end of last year, his latest ire is the ongoing abusive marriage between Bully Ray and Brooke Hogan. What a gentleman. To put this situation to an end, the former Attorney at Law has drawn up Annulment papers, which upon filing, will release Brooke from her loveless marriage. Being the bright spark that he is, Park waves said papers in the air for all to see...namely Aces & Eights. Upon seeing this, the Sergeant at Arms, Devon, was down to the ring like a dose of salt. Like every bully ever presented with legal paperwork, he tore it up. Because Joseph Park has never once heard of a photocopier...or you know...saved his work. But tearing up a piece of paper will never be enough for the likes of Aces & Eights, as Devon proceeds to nail Park with a steel chain and leave the goofy sum'b*tch lying. I can't say I'm looking forward to the eventual match between the pair, but all I ask is that it's for the Television Title. I see that thing on Devon week in, week out and I swear to god, he hasn't defended that thing once since he won it back from Samoa Joe in December.


The disappointment of the night, at least for me, came in the form of Taryn Terrell's ultimate defeat of Gail Kim. I'd been loving the gradual build between the two Knockouts for the past month, boiling over at the Lockdown pay-per-view and simmering nicely on the shows since. I even liked Taryn's initial offense in the match itself, as she came out of the gates swinging. However, what I couldn't appreciate was the ridiculously short runtime. For the only women's feud on Impact right now, one that even supersedes the Knockouts Champion herself, wrapping things up in two minutes flat is borderline insulting. I was genuinely curious to see what Taryn could do in the ring, especially working with a skilled veteran like Gail. But this match served as a mere glimpse. TNA shouldn't be afraid to let their Knockouts go wild for five to ten minutes a piece.


The Gut Check segments, while always entertaining for exposing the thought process behind hiring decisions, can also be slightly infuriating when you disagree with said decisions. I, personally, would've chosen Adam Pearce, ten times out of ten. Even if he wasn't going to be hired at the end of the process, he deserved to be taken out infront of the crowd and judged as the true victor of the match. I agreed 100% with Danny Davis when he made the point that Pearce was technically sound. He may never have hit it big in WWE or TNA so far, but the talent is there and he's carved out an impressive career on the independent circuit without any assistance. I also agreed when the judges pointed out that as impressive as Magno's offense can be, he's also far too large and one error can end with him landing flat on his face. As for Magno's pleas in the ring, I wasn't overly impressed by his promo. Ducking in and out of his native tongue seemed to get the crowd riled up and on the wrong side of him. Not to mention, when he finally did speak English, it was rather whiny and with a noticeable lisp. The idea of TNA taking advantage of the Lucha Libre community is a good one, but they have to be absolutely sure they have the right man behind the mask before pulling the trigger. In Magno's case, he wasn't that right man.


The "will-he/won't-he" AJ Styles drama continued on for another week and call me strange, but this time out, it actually hit home. For the threat of Styles joining Aces & Eights, there hasn't really been a true heel presence in these segments before. But with the addition of Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, I have to admit, it's peaked my interest. Everyone knows they're playing TNA's resident ass-hats. AJ knows better than anyone, having spent the best part of a year fighting them. But they're the only people arguing FOR AJ. Screw Hogan and his politics, screw Storm for his unnecessary guilt-trip, screw Aces & Eights trying to manipulate him, Kaz and Daniels are arguing what's best for their friend. I don't think there's a chance in hell that Styles will side with his former Fortune cohorts, but they make a good point and I think it's one that will resonate with the Phenomenal One. He won't fight against TNA, but he won't fight for TNA. He's out for himself at the moment and that's the best place to be. All his options are still open and he could literally do anything.


Finally, we come to the Main Event of the evening, as World Heavyweight Champion, Bully Ray, defended his title in a Full Metal Mayhem match against the Charismatic Enigma and Hulk Hogan's top pick, Jeff Hardy. As pointed out by the announcers, they've only ever held seven such matches in TNA's entire eleven year history. For such a popular stipulation, they obviously know when to hold it in reserve. This incarnation certainly had the insane bumps to justify it's use, but maybe I'm mellowing when I say they appeared gratuitous at the same time. A large portion of the match was dictated by the challenger, Jeff Hardy, who while contending with Ray's own offense, equally had to deal with the unintended side effects of his own. For every crazy move of Hardy's that landed, something just as devastating would backfire. At times, it was almost as if Hardy were fighting himself. Bully Ray could've stepped out at any time and let Hardy shadow-box his way into oblivion. The match felt more choreographed than classic TLC bouts of the past, not helped by minor screw-ups such as ladders falling over or tables collapsing, necessitating the pair reset and try again. The end came as Hardy stood atop the ladder grasping at the dangling World Title, only to be met by a swift hammer shot to the head from the defending Champion. This sent the daredevil careening off the top of the ladder, crashing down to the mat through a nearby table. It's bumps like those that give Hardy every right to be a pill-popping lunatic. All damage to his body combined, it's a wonder the guy can still walk.


06/04/2013

News: Rob Van Dam attends WWE Hall of Fame


As shown in the picture above, former TNA star, Rob Van Dam, is in attendance for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at Madison Square Garden tonight.

The multiple-time World Heavyweight Champion is said to be at MSG strictly to support his close friend, Booker T, but rumours continue to swirl around his current contract status.

In the past few days, Van Dam has been quoted as looking forward to his impending return to television, but refused to clarify which promotion he meant.

He was last seen (live) on the February 28th episode of Impact Wrestling, whereby he dropped the X Division Championship to current holder, Kenny King. TNA have since aired the taped 'One Night Only: X-Travaganza' special, featuring his final match with long-time rival, Jerry Lynn.

CLEM'S TAKE: I couldn't blame Van Dam if he'd chosen to return to the WWE in the twilight of his career. As they would offer him vast amounts of money, much more so than TNA. But I'd be careful, as they'll make him work all the harder for it, what with their brutal travel schedule, covering three hour Raws, two hour Smackdowns and numerous single hour shows. Not to mention, his glory days are unfortunately behind him. So any aspirations of returning to the heights of his 2006 WWE Title reign are pipe dreams at best.

The three obvious examples of talents returning from TNA to WWE he should bear in mind are Mick Foley, Booker T and Kevin Nash. All three have been rewarded monetarily I'm sure, but once the novelty of having them on the show wears off (after a week or two), they may as well have never come back in the first place. You're either an Announcer, a General Manager or sat at home cashing in your Legends contract like a pensioner. None of which sound like Van Dam's style.

01/04/2013

News: Match Listing for One Night Only: X-Travaganza


On April 5th, TNA premiere their first ever 'One Night Only' pay-per-view.

The card features the following matches (no spoilers).

Xscape Match
Christian York vs Matt Bentley vs Alex Silva vs Sam Shaw vs Lince Dorado vs Puma vs Jimmy Rave

Tony Nese & Rasad Cameron vs Doug Williams & Kid Kash

Robbie E vs Chavo Guerrero

Ultimate X Match
Mason Andrews vs Rubix vs Zema Ion vs Kenny King

Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs Sonjay Dutt & Petey Williams

No DQ Match
(Final Encounter)
Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn

Samoa Joe vs Austin Aries